


Making Sense

by EllieL



Category: A Discovery of Witches (TV), All Souls Trilogy - Deborah Harkness
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Oral Sex, Vampires, s2e01
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-11
Updated: 2021-01-11
Packaged: 2021-03-15 22:27:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,196
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28696176
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EllieL/pseuds/EllieL
Summary: Diana and Matthew try to find some comfort in one another as the realities of how difficult their task in 1590 will be sink in.
Relationships: Diana Bishop/Matthew Clairmont
Comments: 6
Kudos: 89





	Making Sense

**Author's Note:**

> This was supposed to be fluffy smut. It did not want to be, so you get angst instead. Fluffy smut to come from this season at some point, hopefully.

She wasn’t foolish or naive, as Francoise had seemed to think her. Diana had known, as soon as she’d realized that Matthew was the mysterious Roydon; finding the letters in the desk, the papers cached in the rafters, only confirmed who and what he’d been. A dangerous man walking a dangerous path, one they’d just bumbled back into.

And she’d seen the awareness of just how much danger, how much darkness her Matthew had walked through in the centuries before they’d met, written all across his face when he found her at his desk. He did look older, worn by worry and strain, in a way she’d not seen him before, not even in the aftermath of Satu or following Juliette’s attack. Then, he’d seemed to grow softer, more domestic and protective. Now, he looked hardened and war-weary; she could not imagine what his life must have been like here, before, to make a fifteen hundred year old vampire look so drained in a few short days. 

“You’re the only one who makes sense in this place.”

When she’d tucked herself under his chin, his arms had gone so tight around her she could barely breathe, though some of that might have been due to the corset. Even through her layers, she could feel the tension in his limbs, the pads of his fingers digging into her hips, clutching at his one familiar thing. Her arms came around him for a moment, then one hand slid up to cup his cheek, as she kissed the other gently. He trembled a bit under her touch.

“Matthew,” she whispered. His eyes snapped to hers immediately, wide and a little wild. He took a long, slow breath, head falling down so that his nose rested in her hair, taking in the scent of her. Under her palm, she could feel the hard, singular thump of his heart.

“Come to bed, Matthew.” It would not fix anything, not really. She knew that. But he’d been so giddy that first morning here, in bed with her, and she wanted him to have a chance of finding that Matthew again. Her Matthew.

His embrace of her loosened only enough to allow her to turn away, guiding them both back to his—their room. His fingers untangled the laces of her dress and her hair. It should have felt fumbling, should have been difficult to navigate that stairs; somehow it never was with him and his preternatural grace. By the time she tumbled into bed, she had shed most of her clothing across the bedroom floor, and his clothes, though not much more easily removed, were not far behind.

He stood over her, gazing down at the bed with hunger for her clear on his face, overwhelming anything else that he might have been feeling. It was tempting to squirm, or cover herself, but she sprawled, letting him look, watching his entire body relax under her gaze, shoulders dropping and jaw unclenching. She held out a hand to him then, relaxing herself as his fingers threaded through hers. Though he’d relaxed a bit, his muscles still felt tight under her fingers, and his lips captured hers with much more forcefully than usual, tongue almost immediately breaching her lips, tangling with hers until she couldn’t breathe, could barely think. Her hands kneaded at his shoulders, and the taut muscles of his arms as he held himself over her.

When she broke the kiss with a gasp, head falling to the side, his lips trailed down her heaving chest, cool tongue drawing ciphers across her suddenly heated flesh. When his teeth grazed over her nipple, he groaned as loudly as she, and met her eyes with arousal and need burning in his.

“Matthew, oh, Matthew…” her hands tangled in his hair as he slid further down her body, eyes never leaving hers until he hit the juncture of her thighs. Inhaling deeply, his head dropped, breath teasing her, stoking her arousal higher. His eyes found hers again, watching as his lips finally found their goal with precision. She knew he was still watching her even after she couldn’t keep her eyes open, couldn’t even keep her head still, writhing and thrashing under his attentions until she thought she might break the bed, or rouse half the household.

When she came back to herself, his cheek was resting on her thigh. Sliding her hand from his hair, she stroked her thumb across the furrow between his brows. It didn’t quite erase the crease, but it eased, and he turned to kiss her palm. Her other hand found his shoulder and gave him a little tug, urging him to move.

He came slowly, lips tracing his way back up her body until he found her lips. Already lax with release, she melted into his embrace, and he wrapped himself around her as if trying to warm himself with her. She trailed her hands up his back, over his scars, until they were in his hair again, soothing over his scalp.

“I love you,” she whispered into his ear, as if revealing some great secret and not something she'd happily shout from the tower of St. Paul’s.

“Diana,” was practically a sob against her clavicle, as he tucked his head into her shoulder. She could feel his teeth threatening for half a second, before his whole body trembled against her. Though she wasn’t sure he was actually crying—or if he even could—she held him as if he were, arms stroking his back and through the hair at the nape of his neck, featherlight kisses to the crown of his head. 

“Shh, shh. Matthew,” she whispered, lips grazing the curve of his ear. 

Eventually he stilled, long minutes later after distant bells had sounded, heaving one great deep breath, and rolled away onto his back. He stared up at the ceiling, unblinking. “This is going to be more difficult than I thought, Diana.”

She rolled onto her side, molding herself to him and draping one leg over his. He bummed a bit at that, deep in his throat, as he did again when one hand began stroking slowly across his chest. Only when he sighed and turned his head to gaze on her with weary eyes did she dare smile at him.

“I didn’t think learning magic would be easy. And if finding Ashmole was easy, creatures wouldn’t have spent centuries looking for it. But we can do this together, Matthew.” She paused, tracing figures on the cool skin of his chest. “I think to succeed we have to do this together.”

“I know I cannot live through this period again without you. You remind me of what everything can be.” He kissed her again, slowly and thoroughly. 

She caressed his face, feeling an overwhelming need to touch him, maintain a physical connection with him. “Stay with me a while, then.”

“At least until you fall asleep.” He kissed her forehead and turned to wrap his arms around her again. 

They lay quietly in one another’s arms a long time before she drifted off to sleep, still feeling the tension in his body as he held her.


End file.
